iPad Pro

While the focus is on what manufacturers announce at CES 2021, the supposed design of the next 12.9-inch iPad Pro has leaked online. The premium tablet will have smaller bezels than the current model, while retaining its overall design. The next iPad Pro is expected to feature a mini-LED screen, among other changes.

HP asserts that its new Elite-series earbuds are an enterprise-grade way of introducing wireless audio into your professional online conferencing set-up. They are rated for both passive and active noise cancellation (PNC and ANC), streamlined device-switching and fast case charging via USB type C.

Apple App Store users spent a record US$540 million on New Year's Day, capping off a week that saw total App Store spending of $1.8 billion. The App Store continues to be one of Apple's most successful lines of business; since its inception, developers have earned over $200 billion and Apple has earned an estimated $85 billion over the past 12 years.

If the anonymous sources from China prove to be right, the next-gen low-cost iPad will launch later this year with a design closely based on the third-generation iPad Air that was introduced back in 2019. The highlights will include the same 10.2-inch screen size, but lower weight and a thinner chassis.

With Google Stadia available on iPhones and iPads via a web app, people have been seeing how well Cyberpunk 2077 runs. It turns out the likes of the iPhone 12 Pro do a better job of playing CD Projekt Red's latest triple-A title than the last-generation PlayStation 4 or Xbox One do.

Apple has now issued iOS and iPadOS updates to version 14.3. It contains some previously-promised features, which include ProRAW support in the Pro iPhone 12 variants, not to mention Apple Fitness+. It also reportedly fixes some issues, including one in which a user's new messages failed to appear in their Notifications.

Jay Freeman, the developer of the Cydia app store, has filed suit against Apple for monopolistic practices that have shut alternative app distribution methods out of iOS. If Freeman wins this suit, it could force Apple to allow and support alternative app installation methods for iOS.

Apple currently uses components from Qualcomm in order to keep iPhones capable of using mobile data. However, its senior vice president of hardware technologies has just announced that it intends to replace these modems with one of its own. This may be the next significant move in its in-house ambitions since the conception of the M1 chipset.

Baseus has launched a series of new slim, high-tech third-party chargers equipped with gallium nitride (GaN) technology. One of them is rated to charge 2 devices at up to 60 watts (W) at once. This may make it a good companion for laptops such as the MacBook Pro.

Apple is running a gift card giveaway Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Qualifying purchases will see the buyer rewarded with a card worth from US$25/£20/€25 up to US$150/£120/€150. The deal includes many major Apple products such as the iPhone 11 and iPhone SE, the iPad Pro, Beats headphones, and even the premium MacBook Pro 16.

Although Trump's reign is over, Apple has requested Foxconn to move at least some of its iPad and MacBook production facilities to Vietnam. This move comes as a part of Apple's efforts to diversify production, thus minimizing the potential impact of a new trade war between China and the US.

The ARM-based Apple M1 chip has made a star turn appearance on the AnTuTu benchmark as the key component in a MacBook Air. The M1 managed to rack up way over one million points, leaving the Apple silicon, including the A12Z Bionic in the iPad Pro 4 and the performance-friendly A14 in the iPad Air (2020), trailing far behind.

The Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) and NFC Forum have announced that they will collaborate on a project to develop a new kind of charging for those mobile devices that come equipped with their own digital pens. Doing so via NFC might mean that the stylus in question could share data with its paired phone or tablet and power up at the same time.

Designers over at Svetapple created a set of detailed concept renders of the 2021 iMac, based on what rumors indicate about the upcoming all-in-one. The stunning models highlight the possibility that Apple will introduce slimmer bezels, bringing iMacs more in line with recent iPads.

An app that allows iOS users to run a Unix shell on their iDevice was under threat of removal from the App Store. However, Apple apparently reversed its decision, allowing the app to stay up. This could open the door for more scripting and shell apps to hit the App Store in the future.

The first alleged benchmark of the Apple A14X SoC has leaked and it underscores why Apple dumped Intel for its own silicon. If accurate, the Geekbench result puts the A14X ahead of the Intel Core i9-9880H found in the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro.

LG Display has been contracted to supply mini-LED LCDs to Apple for its fifth-generation iPad Pros, according to ETNews. Mass-production of these next-generation displays will commence before the end of the year, allowing Apple to release new iPad Pros in Q1 2021.

Apple and Foxconn may have been partners for years but the relationship has soured in the last few years, according to a report published by The Information. Reputedly, Foxconn has employed a range of tactics to maximise profits, including overcharging for production costs and even potentially revealing Apple designs to third-parties before they have been announced.

Tipster @jon_prosser claimed that Apple's alleged decision to skip on a 120 Hz iPhone 12 display was "100 percent" because of battery life concerns, with the 5G radio taking priority. This might mean that 120 Hz displays will only make their way to iPhone in 2022.

Epic Games has been in open litigious conflict with Apple over the latter's 30% levy on developer revenue in exchange for the use of its App Store. Now, the studio has escalated this situation with the implementation of the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), a new non-profit for "developer rights". Spotify, another company openly disgruntled with Apple's "unfair" practices, has also helped form the group.

Rumour has it that Apple will soon start selling a new generation of iPad Pros with mini LED screens. The fifth-generation devices may arrive as early as Q4 2020 too, contrary to past rumours. These may be the first iPads to the feature Apple's A14X Bionic chipset, too.

A report by analyst Ming Chi-Kuo indicates that increased competition among Apple's mini-LED suppliers could lead to a larger than expected volume of iPads and Macs shipping with mini-LED displays, both next year and in 2022.

Apple recently seeded the developer demo for iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2, seemingly skipping over iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1. While we're not sure of the reason for the nomenclature change, iPadOS and iOS 14.2 both introduce minor updates, chief of which is better Shazam integration for music aficionados.

Apple’s A14 Bionic SoC reveal indicated what might be the smallest generation on generation leap we’ve seen to date from Cupertino. Is the near-static performance due to issues with the 5nm process? Or did Apple just fire the last shots in a smartphone spec war that’s spiralled out of control?

Jon Prosser expects Apple to unveil at least four new products at tomorrow's Apple Event at Apple Park. An eighth-generation iPad is believed to be in attendance, as is a fourth-generation iPad Air and two Apple smartwatches either called the Apple Watch SE and Watch Series 6 or the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Pro.

Apple's A14X chips will enter mass production in Q4 2020, according to a new report. Apparently, these chips are destined for the next iPad Pro and the first ARM-based MacBooks.

The VAVA Portable SSD Touch is a new product launched via Indiegogo recently. It is a stick-like drive with a hardware-based fingerprint scanner on the top of its aluminium, supposedly shock-proof casing. It also apparently packs AES 256-bit encryption on top of that and USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds into its compact form-factor.

Apple could be set to launch the Watch Series 6 and iPad Air 4 this week. Separate tips by leaker Jon Prosser and @LeaksApplePro peg the launch of both devices for September 8.

Square Enix has announced that the remastered Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles title has gone live. It has PS4, Nintendo Switch, Android and iOS versions, across which gamers can form teams and explore all the dungeons. It also has a Lite (or free) version and a Mimic Mode for those who want to play as original characters.

Apple had warned that it might terminate the developer account page on its Store for Epic Games. The studio is currently involved in action that challenges the Cupertino giant's app-revenue model. Now, this threat has come to fruition, meaning that access to all of Epic's apps on iOS or iPadOS has been revoked.

The Taiwanese foundries are already building a new R&D center for 2 nm technologies and beyond in Hsinchu, which should be ready some time in 2021. The exact timeline for the 2 nm volume production is not yet known, but TSMC reports that it has been collaborating with some of its customers on the development of this advanced node. Market analysts claim that Apple will be first to launch 2 nm SoCs thanks to a five-year production deal with TSMC.

Adobe representatives have acknowledged a critical fault in a recent update to its version of Lightroom for iOS. It follows multiple complaints from users that they have lost their photos, presets or both in the event these were not backed up beforehand. The company has released a subsequent update that avoids these issues; however, it will not be able to restore the data for affected customers.

Early insights into the expected performance of the A14X Bionic suggest that it will be a true upgrade over the A12X Bionic, unlike the A12Z Bionic that graces the latest iPad Pro range. Comparing an ARM chip that is unlikely to make it into a laptop with a 45 W x86 processor is just as meaningless as ever, though.

Chargeasap, the maker of the Indiegogo hit the Flash power bank, is back on crowdfunding with another potentially groundbreaking power accessory. This Omega wall-wart has 2 versions: one that rated to charge at up to 100 watts (W), and one at 200W. It had a goal of US$10,000 on Kickstarter, but left this threshold behind a long time ago.

In what is set to be a titanic court battle, Epic Games massive hit game Fortnite has been banned from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store. Both tech giants argue that Epic has violated their respective store policies and in response, Epic has launched a lawsuit against Apple alleging monopolistic and anti-competitive behavior.

Rumour has it that Apple has a second-generation Magic Keyboard in development. The keyboard accessory will apparently be compatible with the iPad Pro and the rumoured fourth-generation iPad Air. The new keyboard is scheduled to arrive in March 2021, a year after Apple released the fourth generation of the iPad Pro.

According to Pangu Team, a Chinese hacker group, an “unpatchable” exploit has been uncovered for Apple’s Secure Enclave, the co-processor that stores keys for Face ID, Touch ID, and passwords. This potentially puts the personal data and biometric information of millions of iPhone and iPad users at risk.

Apple is planning the mother of all hardware releases between August and October. The AirPods Studio, the iPhone 12 series and a HomePod refresh are all due, as are Apple's first ARM-powered laptops. The ARM MacBook and MacBook Pro 13 will be joined by a new iPad Pro too.

A disturbing Apple patent indicates that upcoming versions of the Face ID biometric technology could generate a map of the veins in a user’s face. While Face ID already has a one in a million false-positive rate, vein mapping could dissuade hackers from attempting to use life-like masks to bypass Face ID.

TikTok posted an impressive 67 million official downloads onto iOS devices in the US in the first quarter of 2020 (1Q2020). However, in 2Q2020, this stat has been eclipsed by one of approximately 94 million by the collaboration app Zoom. This is a major factor in a trend favoring business-focused apps on the Cupertino company's platform.

A new patent filed by Apple details a stylus, likely an Apple Pencil, that contains an embedded color sensor. Located in either the back end or tip of the Pencil, the color sensor would be able to scan and copy the color from real-world objects. While the patent looks interesting, it is not yet known whether or not Apple will actually use it in future products.

TSMC has outlined its fabrication plans for its 5nm fabrication process and what that means for investors in its latest conference call. It is buoyant about what its 5nm node will mean for next generation mobile chips and says chips using the tech, including Apple’s A14, will contribute around 8 percent to its revenue for the next quarter.

Apple recently launched the iOS 14 open beta program. iPhone and iPad users enrolled in the beta program can easily get hold of the first public beta build. iOS 14 features a number or improvements including a redesigned home screen and Apple Pencil handwriting recognition.

Apple could be working on an iPhone prototype running a full-fledged macOS, according to insider information cited by Mauri QHD. While there is no way to confirm this, such a possibility is not a distant dream given that Apple has begun transitioning its entire lineup to ARM. If this news is indeed true, it remains to be seen how effective would be its implementation considering that previous such attempts by competitors haven't been too successful.

Apple has announced that it will transition its entire Mac lineup to ARM-based custom silicon over the next two years. Support for Apple silicon is now available in macOS Big Sur and developers can get started right away on a Developer Transition Kit (DTK) that includes a Mac Mini powered by the A12Z Bionic. Despite the transition Apple will continue to support Intel processors for many years to come.

Images of alleged molds and renders of the Apple iPhone 12 series have been leaked online. There are several different-sized molds on show in the pictures, which seem to fit rumors of the iPhone 12 sporting a similar design language to that of the iPad Pro (2020). However, there are also some pretty big notches on display.

Apple's iPad Pro is the quintessential tablet series, and Samsung's Galaxy Tab has always lagged slightly behind. Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ in the near future, and the phones have now been touted to offer a feature that may bring them closer to the iPad Pro.